Tale of the tape

Pundits love to throw around the term "slugfest" when describing certain Academy Award races, but that phrase is rarely as appropriate as it will be this year in the best actor category.

A look at potential contenders reveals a field filled with heavyweights, all of whom figure to come out swinging with everything they've got.

Early buzz says there are so many guys giving knockout performances — almost all in the kinds of roles that academy voters have responded to in the past — that Hollywood figures to be in for a battle royal.

The question is, which five will be left standing when nominations are announced Jan. 31? The tale of the tape that follows might provide some clues.

Even though still unseen, one performance that has an excellent shot at a nomination and even a win is given by Eric Bana in "Munich." Steven Spielberg's drama about the 1972 Olympic Games is already considered a best picture frontrunner and, as all Oscar nuts know, voters like to pair up lead-acting awards along with the top trophy (think Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby," or Russell Crowe in "Gladiator").

There are such high hopes for "Munich" because it's being hailed as Spielberg's most serious film since "Schindler's List," which won the top Oscar in 1994. From "Munich's" trailer it's clear Bana has a big, emoting role as a Mossad agent haunted by moral and ethical issues as he hunts down Palestinian militants who killed 11 Israeli athletes.

But Bana has something else going for him: he portrays a real person. Oscar voters are suckers for real-life portrayals. Look how they responded to Jamie Foxx last year for his work as Ray Charles in "Ray," another best picture contender.

Joaquin Phoenix may find himself in a similar situation, as he portrays Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line." But Phoenix goes Foxx one better by actually singing the country icon's tunes in the film (Foxx just lip-synced Ray Charles).

It helps that Phoenix starred in a past best picture champ ("Gladiator") and is hitting a new peak with this demanding role as a charming, alcoholic, pill-gobbling hothead who needed, and deserved, love.

Far less expressive, but equally intense and egotistical is the persona of Edward R. Murrow, who is captured shrewdly by David Strathairn in "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Strathairn portrays the 1950s TV newsman who led a gutsy crusade against Sen. Joe McCarthy's witch hunt against suspected Communists. One drawback to Strathairn's lock-jaw portrayal is that it's stoic, just like hardscrabble Murrow was in real life. Still, Strathairn could benefit if "Good Night" lands in the best picture race, a distinct possibility given the star power of the film's director, George Clooney.

But Clooney could also be Strathairn's undoing. Clooney stars in "Syriana" as a trusty CIA operative who sniffs out a Middle East oil conspiracy. The film is directed by Stephen Gaghan, the Oscar-winning scenarist of "Traffic," and could be a best picture contender.

For "Syriana," Clooney made the kind of move that Oscar voters always cheer: sacrificing his body for the sake of a role. The onetime "sexiest man alive" donned a scruffy beard and packed on 30 pounds. Also, he could benefit from the fact that many people simply believe, "It's George Clooney's year."

Or maybe 2005 is Jake Gyllenhaal's year. He has two big movies in the derby: "Jarhead" and "Brokeback Mountain." Initially, "Jarhead" had best picture buzz because it's directed by Oscar champ Sam Mendes ("American Beauty"), but that's faded due to mixed reviews.

Gyllenhaal's still in the running for best actor, though, as an idealistic rookie Marine who's psychologically scarred by the brutalities he witnesses during the first Gulf War.